PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

A UNIT of Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) is setting aside P282.5 million to enhance its electronic toll collection and traffic management systems.

In a press release, MPTC’s subsidiary NLEX Corp. said that the project includes the upgrade of various servers and the installation of new radio frequency identification (RFID) antennas and speed cameras.

“[This] aims to enhance the processing of toll plaza transactions and implementation of traffic regulations,” the company said.

In particular, the company is equipping new antennas that can help to facilitate more efficient RFID transactions in 80 toll lanes, while it will be equipping four-speed cameras in Tarlac- and Subic-bound portions of the Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX).

The new speed cameras are seen to help traffic officers in getting real-time data to flag down those who will go beyond the maximum speed limits or 80 kilometers per hour for trucks and buses and 100 kph for cars and sport utility vehicles.

Meanwhile, the company said it will be upgrading several servers at North Luzon Expressway-SCTEX for “improved performance and reliability.”

In 2022, the company upgraded close to 150 toll fare indicators, lane status indicators, traffic control gates, automatic vehicle classification devices, and loop detectors.

“These enhancements are part of the company’s thrust in providing safer and more convenient journeys along with the drive for continuous innovation and customer service excellence,” NLEX Corp. President and General Manager Jose Luigi L. Bautista said.

MPTC is the tollways unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which is one of three key Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT Inc.

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